TWINKLE, TWINKLE: Astrid & Miyu, the London-based demi-fine jeweler that offers services such as piercing, welding and engraving, has unveiled a new concept for the holidays and beyond.
It has opened The Gift Shop on South Molton Street in Mayfair, with merchandise including board games, socks, caps, scarves and bags, as well as its signature solid gold, and gold vermeil, jewelry.
The brand’s founder Connie Nam said it was time to branch out, add some products and tell a new story to Astrid & Miyu’s close-knit community. Nam said she wants to “create a world, and a different vibe, and elevate the brand” with the store, where the focus is on gifting.
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“It’s our only concept store, and I want people from all over the world to come here,” she said in an interview.
She’s taken a long-term lease on the property at 4 South Molton Street, not far from Claridge’s, and plans to tweak the interiors and merchandise as the months pass. For the holidays, the color scheme is pink, claret and chocolate, but they will give way to other shades as the brand marks Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, and other shopping moments on the calendar.
Nam said with 50 percent of the business coming from services such as piercing and welding, she wants to “go back to our roots in jewelry” and highlight the craft and design behind the pieces. The Gift Shop is also the brand’s first product-only store, and does not offer jewelry services.
Astrid & Miyu is expanding in other directions. In September it opened a second New York store, at 1134 Madison Avenue, and now has a total of 30 stores in the U.S. and Europe.
Solid gold pieces generate around 30 percent of jewelry sales, with the rest coming from gold vermeil. Nam said the bestsellers are pretty much the same everywhere, although the U.S. market has a particular penchant for gold and diamonds, and chunkier pieces, while the average basket value is higher, too.
Nam said North America, and the U.S. in particular, will be a “growth engine” for the brand going forward. “We know the demand is there,” said Nam, adding the brand plans to launch at Nordstrom and Holt Renfrew in the next few weeks.